ISB has also moved higher than FT's last year's ranking, where it was placed at # 20. However, none of the IIMs have managed to find a place on this important global ranking.
To know more on this important development, MBAUniverse.com, which was infact the first media from India to report on this development, interviewed London based Business Education editor Ms Della Bradshaw.
Excerpts:
Q: One of the significant features of the FT rankings 2009 is the rise of Asian B-schools from China, India and Singapore. What is leading to this important trend?
A: There are a couple of reasons for this. To begin with, one of the most important things we look at when we do the MBA rankings is the career progress of alumni. This is because when we ask alumni why they wanted to study for an MBA they always say it is to get a better job and earn more money. As you know, the US and many countries in Europe are now in recession; therefore the career progress of alumni is higher in economies that continue to grow, that is, in Asia.
The second reason is that the FT rankings were set up more than a decade ago to rank business schools which were producing the top global managers.
A decade ago many European and Asian students aspired to study in the US, but these days many of the brightest and the best students from Asia are deciding to stay at home to study because of the growing number of reputable business schools there. There are lots of reasons for this, most particularly the issues surrounding visas and loans. But the upshot is that Asian schools are attracting the most talented students these days, which means they will do better in the rankings.
Q: Talking about ISB, how do see its rise? What are the key reasons for its climb from #20 to #15 on FT ranking?
A: ISB obviously benefits for the general trend mentioned above, but I think there are a couple of other factors. The first is its strong ties with Indian industry. As the school becomes more established these will obviously grow and one of the things we have seen is that the salaries earned by alumni are increasing all the time.
Also as the school increases its own faculty and becomes more well-known globally, so increasing the number of visiting faculty, the school's reputation will develop. It's a virtuous circle.
Q: Lastly, Indian Institute of Managements do not feature on this rankings? Now that they have been running one-year post experience programme for 5 years or so, where do they stand on the FT rankings…
A: You will have to ask the Indian Institutes where they stand on the question of the FT rankings. From our point of view, we are happy to include any school which meets our criteria in the rankings process. No IIM has approached us about participation in our MBA rankings in recent years, or about participation in our Masters in Management rankings, where the traditional PGP would be eligible.
